The present invention relates to a multi-directional operating switch activated by a tilting manipulation as well as a pushing manipulation of a manipulating shaft, and used mainly in an input controller or the like of a mobile communications apparatus such as a cellular phone, a radio pager, etc., as well as an electronic apparatus of various kinds such as a remote controller, audio equipment, a game machine, a car navigation system, an electronic camera, and the like. The invention also relates to a multi-directional operating apparatus using the same.
A conventional multi-directional operating switch of a kind will be described hereinafter by referring to FIG. 13 through FIG. 16.
In FIG. 13 depicting a sectional front view, a box-like case 1 made of plastic resin has an opening on top surface covered by a cover 2 made of metal plate or the like.
A bottom surface of the case 1 is provided with a central stationary contact 3A, an outer stationary contact 3B and four peripheral stationary contacts 4 through 7 disposed at an equal distance from the central stationary contact 3A in directions toward right, left, back and front side, all fixed by insertion formation as shown in FIG. 14 of an exploded perspective view with a case cut away partially. These contacts are connected individually to their respective terminals 14A, 14B, and 15 through 18. A dome-like circular movable contact 8 is placed on the outer stationary contact 3B. A congregated movable contact 9 is fixed by pillars 1A above the peripheral stationary contacts 4 through 7 in such a manner that flexible contact leaves 10 through 13 of the congregated movable contact 9 face their respective peripheral stationary contacts 4 through 7. The congregated movable contact 9 is connected to a terminal 19A for external connection via a contact 19.
A supporting body 21 is positioned above the congregated movable contact 9, and a square-shaped upper end 21A of the supporting body 21 maintains a resilient contact with an underside surface of the cover 2, as it is biased upwardly by a compression coil spring 20 disposed besides an inner periphery along side walls of the case 1. A recess portion 21B in a center of the supporting body 21 holds a semispherical rotating body 22.
The rotating body 22 is in its position where a flange portion 22A at its lower perimeter rests on a bottom surface of the recess portion 21B in the center of the supporting body 21, and an upper spherical portion 22B fits in contact with a spherical surface of a circular hole 2A in a center of the cover 2. A rod-like manipulating shaft 23 made of metal is inserted and held in a vertical center hole 22C of a noncircular shape in the rotating body 22 in a manner of sliding vertically.
The manipulating shaft 23 has a lower end 23A projecting downwardly from the rotating body 22, so as to rest in contact with the dome-like circular movable contact 8 in a center of the bottom surface of the case 1. A manipulation knob 24 is mounted on a tip end 23B of the manipulating shaft 23 projecting upwardly above the case 1.
A lower surface around an outer perimeter of the supporting body 21 is provided with depressing points 25A through 25D, corresponding respectively to the flexible contact leaves 10 through 13 of the congregated movable contact 9. Due to the sectional view from one side of the switch, the accompanying figure does not show the depressing points 25C and 25D corresponding to the flexible contact leaves 12 and 13.
The multi-directional operating switch operates in a manner as described hereinafter. To begin with, the manipulating shaft 23 is in its vertical neutral position, and all contacts of the multi-directional operating switch are in their open position in a state of FIG. 13, wherein the lower end 23A of the manipulating shaft 23 does not depress the dome-like circular movable contact 8.
When a left upper surface of the manipulation knob 24 mounted on the tip end 23B at an upper part of the manipulating shaft 23 is depressed downward, the manipulating shaft 23 tilts and the rotating body 22 rotates toward the left side while keeping in contact with the spherical surface of the circular hole 2A of the cover 2, as shown by an arrow in FIG. 15 of a section front view. This causes an edge of the flange portion 22A on the underside of the rotating body 22 to push the bottom surface of the recess portion 21B of the supporting body 21 downward, and to tilt the supporting body 21 toward left with a fulcrum being at an upper edge 21A at a side of the square form opposite to the surface being pushed. The supporting body 21 then pushes down the flexible contact leaf 10 corresponding to the depressing point 25A, thereby making it to contact with the peripheral stationary contact 4. This establishes an electrical continuity between the congregated movable contact 9 and the peripheral stationary contact 4, and completes a closed circuit through the terminals 19A and 15 for external connection. During this movement, a left side of the upper edge 21A in the perimeter of the supporting body 21 separates from the underside surface of the cover 2 while depressing the compression coil spring 20 downward.
When the depressing force applied to the manipulation knob 24 is removed afterwards, a restoring force of the compression coil spring 20 pushes back the supporting body 21 and the rotating body 22 to their original neutral positions shown in FIG. 13. At the same time, the restoring force also returns the flexible contact leaf 10 to the original position shown in FIG. 13 by separating it from the peripheral stationary contact 4, thereby turning off the switch contact.
Likewise, a closed circuit can be established through any of the terminals 16 to 18 for external connection by changing a position to be depressed among a right side, a front side and a back side on the upper surface of the operating knob 24 mounted on the manipulating shaft 23.
When a center upper surface of the operating knob 24, i.e. the manipulating shaft 23, is pushed downward by placing a vertical depressing force from the above, as shown by an arrow in a sectioned front view of FIG. 16, the lower end 23A pushes the dome-like circular movable contact 8 on the bottom surface of the case 1, causing it to distort. This produces a tactile response, and establishes a closed circuit through the terminals 14A and 14B by making continuity between the central stationary contact 3A and the outer stationary contact 3B. The manipulating shaft 23 is pushed up by a restoring force of the dome-like circular movable contact 8, and returned to its original position of FIG. 13, when the depressing force is removed.
In spite of a growing demand for downsizing of a variety of the latest electronic apparatuses, however, a reduction in overall size and thickness of the conventional multi-directional operating switch of the type described above has been difficult to attain due to the numerous constituent components, and it has been expensive. The switch has also had a problem in that it is difficult for an operator to sensory determine when a switch contact turns on, since the switch does not produce a positive tactile response during a switching made by tilting the manipulating shaft.
The present invention is intended to solve the above problem of the prior art, and it aims at providing a multi-directional operating switch, which is small and thin as it requires a small number of components, yet it is capable of making a reliable switching with a tactile response even when the switching is made by tilting the manipulating shaft sideways. The invention also aims at providing a multi-directional operating apparatus using the multi-directional operating switch.
A multi-directional operating switch of the present invention includes: a case having an opening on top surface, provided on a bottom surface thereof with a central contact, an outer contact disposed away from the central contact, and a plurality of peripheral contacts; a dome-like circular movable contact having a central portion situated above the central contact, and its lower peripheral edge rests in contact with the outer contact; an electrically conductive cover having a through hole concentric to the dome-like circular movable contact; and a manipulation body including a shaft protruding through the through hole in the cover, a flange formed integrally with or fixed to a lower portion of the shaft and provided with an upper surface and a lower surface of the flange for conductively connecting between them, and a projection provided on the shaft. The flange is restricted from turning, the shaft is tiltable as well as vertically movable. At least a periphery of the flange portion stays in contact with an underside surface of the cover with a thrusting force in an upward direction by said dome-like circular movable contact. When the shaft of the manipulation body is pushed downward, the projection on the flange depresses and distorts the dome-like circular movable contact, which in turn establishes an electrical continuity between the central contact and the outer contact. When the shaft is tilted, the flange completes an electrical continuity between a certain number of the peripheral contacts and the cover.
The foregoing structure can realize the multi-directional operating switch that is small and thin, easily manipulated for reliable switching, and costs less due to a small number of constituent components, and that the switch can produce a predetermined tactile response only with the one dome-like circular movable contact disposed in the case, even when making a switching between the peripheral contacts and the electrically conductive cover by tilting the shaft of the manipulation body sideways, in addition to that when making an electrical continuity between the central contact and the outer contact by pushing the shaft of the manipulation body vertically downward.
A multi-directional operating switch of the present invention includes a case having an opening of generally square shape and provided with a peripheral stationary contact disposed at each corner. The opening houses a flange of a manipulation body, as the flange is formed in a shape generally similar to the opening. This structure can easily prevent the flange of the manipulation body from turning within the case when the manipulation body is moved and maintain proper positions of both components with respect to each other at all the time. Consequently, the manipulating shaft can be tilted and held infallibly in a direction intermediate between predetermined adjacent two of the peripheral stationary contacts disposed at corners in the case, since the generally square-shaped flange stays still with one of its lower sides resting on a bottom surface of the case when the manipulation body is tilted. In addition, the structure makes it easy to adjust tilting angles of the shaft of the manipulation body into an equal angle, at which the peripheral stationary contacts turn into an ON state. Therefore, the invention realizes the multi-directional operating switch having small overall dimensions with a simple structure, yet the switch is capable of being switched by a tilting manipulation in the same angle toward four directions that are used frequently.
A multi-directional operating switch of the present invention is so constructed that both of an opening in a case and a flange of a manipulation body are generally rectangular of similar shape. With this structure tilting angles of a shaft of the manipulation body, at which peripheral stationary contacts turn on, can be differentiated easily between two directions orthogonal to each other by varying a proportion in length between a longitudinal side and a lateral side of the opening in the case and of the flange.
A multi-directional operating switch of the present invention includes a case having an opening of generally pentagon, hexagon, or octagon, and provided with a peripheral stationary contact at each corner of the opening. The opening houses a flange of a manipulation body, as the flange is also formed in a shape generally similar to the opening. This structure can easily prevent the flange of the manipulation body from turning within the case. It also realizes easily the multi-directional operating switch having a shaft of the manipulation body that is tiltable into a desired number of directions, since it adopts a polygonal shape having the desired number of sides for the opening and the flange.
A multi-directional operating switch of the present invention includes a case having an opening of a circular shape, and provided with peripheral stationary contacts disposed at an equal distance and an equal angle with respect to a center of the opening. The opening houses a flange of a manipulation body, as the flange is formed in a circular shape slightly smaller in diameter than the opening. The switch is provided with a turn restricting means for the manipulation body at a portion where a shaft of the manipulation body engages with a through hole in a cover, in order to maintain a position of the flange relative to the peripheral stationary contacts. This multi-directional operating switch can be manipulated in a manner that a top end of the shaft of the manipulation body moves circularly while the shaft is kept tilted, since the flange of the manipulation body has the circular shape, thereby being capable of switching smoothly a plurality of the peripheral stationary contacts disposed in the circular opening in a consecutive manner.
A multi-directional operating switch of the present invention is provided with a cover having a through hole in a shape other than circle, and a manipulation body having a shaft to be inserted in the through hole, in a cross-sectional shape other than circle. They function as a turn restricting means for the manipulation body having a circular flange. This multi-directional operating switch can reliably prevent the manipulation body from turning in a case even with a simple structure.
A multi-directional operating switch of the present invention is provided with a manipulation body constructed of an electrically conductive material. The manipulation body made of electrically conductive material makes a contact plate unnecessary, and reduces a cost of manufacturing. This structure provides the switch, wherein a tilting manipulation of the manipulation body additionally connects an outer stationary contact to a same closed circuit of two adjacent peripheral stationary contacts and a cover.
Furthermore, if the switch of the above structure is provided with a projection made of insulating material on a bottom surface of a flange, it can positively isolate a group of switching circuit among peripheral stationary contacts and a cover from another group of switching circuit between a central stationary contact and an outer stationary contact via a dome-like circular movable contact. Since a shaft and the flange of the manipulation body are integrally formed, they move solidly and reliably without shaking when making a predetermined movement of the manipulation body, thereby achieving a reliable switching of the individual stationary contacts. Moreover, a magnitude of a tactile response in the manipulation can be adjusted readily by selecting a shape and size of the projection properly.
A multi-directional operating switch of the present invention is provided with a manipulation body including an electrically conductive flange of a plate form attached to a shaft constructed of an insulating material integrally with a projection located under the flange. This structure can reduce a thickness of the multi-directional operating switch, since it reduces a thickness of the flange attached to the manipulation body.
A multi-directional operating switch of the present invention is provided with a manipulation body including a flange made of an electrically conductive material having resiliency. When a shaft of the multi-directional operating switch is tilted, an electrical continuity is established first between a peripheral stationary contact and a cover. Another electrical continuity is then established between a central stationary contact and an outer stationary contact, when a projection under the flange pushes a dome-like circular movable contact after the flange of the manipulation body deforms resiliently. This structure allows an operator to choose whether or not to make an electrical continuity between the central stationary contact and the outer stationary contact by way of varying a tilting force applied to the shaft of the manipulation body, after establishing the electrical continuity between the peripheral stationary contact and the cover. This multi-directional operating switch can be used in an electronic apparatus, for example, to change a speed of scrolling a cursor, etc. indicating a variety of items displayed on a display window and the like of the apparatus, in such a manner as to move the cursor slowly if only the peripheral stationary contact is turned on, or to move the cursor faster when the central stationary contact and the outer stationary contact are additionally turned on. In addition, this structure of the switch can avoid damages on contacts such as the peripheral stationary contacts, even if the shaft is tilted excessively due to an unintentional great force given to the manipulation body, since the flange is resilient.
As has been described, this multi-directional operating switch, when mounted in a variety of multi-directional operating apparatus, can attain a congregation and simplification of numerous manipulations as well as down-sizing, and reducing in thickness and weight at the same time.